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Hello! June is festival month! And we’re once again hosting a free afternoon party at Sled Island. This time, it is upstairs at The Palomino on Friday, June 21, and we’re bringing along three of our recent signings, Jay Arner, Pick a Piper and the intrepid Renny Wilson. Hope to see you there!

Mint Records at Sled Island!

Friday, June 21st at The Palomino (109 7 Ave SW)

Featuring: Jay Arner, Pick a Piper, Renny Wilson

12-3:30pm, Free (but not all ages – sorry!)

Pick a Piper - on at 12:30pm

The Toronto-based three-piece, Pick a Piper is an electronic project led by Brad Weber, who you may recognize as Caribou’s touring drummer. Their self-titled debut is hypnotic, percussive and chock full of guest appearances including members of Braids, The Ruby Suns and The Born Ruffians. Recently, a handful like-minded electronic artists including Caribou, The Junior Boys, Teen Daze, and many others remixed Pick a Piper songs. The band is presently touring Canada to promote their self-titled Mint Records debut.

"Weber has a knack for combining electronic and organic elements into dreamy psych-pop that sounds as good on the dance floor as it does through a pair of headphones." - Now Toronto (NNNN)

"The eight-track effort blends watery, disembodied grooves and shimmering atmospherics with tight-wristed percussion and guest vocals (from members of the Ruby Suns, Enon and Brainiac, Born Ruffians, and Braids) that also keep your feet fixed firmly on the ground." – SPIN

Jay Arner - on at 1:30pm

For years, Vancouver multi-instrumentalist Jay Arner has teamed up with others to translate the sounds in his head. He's fronted an indie rock band, played synthesizers and samplers in a pop duo, manned the drums for a piano-punk songwriter, and held down the bass in a eight-member collective. Along the way, he's also become a sought-after producer and remix artist, working out of the legendary Hive studios and recording acts like Mount Eerie, Apollo Ghosts, Rose Melberg, No Gold and many more.

Now, finally, he is going it alone. Every sound you hear on his eponymous debut album — due out on June 25th on Mint Records — was self-recorded by Arner in his 72-square-foot practice space using a precariously perched desktop computer and his home recording gear. The sum of his many talents, these 10 songs sizzle with DIY energy and encompass the scope of the songwriter's diverse resume.

“Jay comes correct on his long-play solo debut. This is no mere vanity trip for the Van City staple, as the unassuming mug on the cover laid down every note, lick and casual drum fill. Swoon-inducing New Romanticism and feather-banged bombast is the top down, drive time soundtrack for summer ’13.” – Weird Canada

"...Arner expertly folds sour feelings into his semi-sweet sounds and, as "Midnight on South Granville" accumulates quivery layers of analogue synths and builds gracefully to its conclusion, it becomes quietly riveting." – Pitchfork

Renny Wilson - on at 2:30pm

After almost a decade of struggle, strain, and delay, the debut record from Edmontonian Renny Wilson has now seen the light. His first ever release Sugarglider draws blood from disco keystones such as Bad Girls, and the spirit of Arthur Russell. Common elements of chillwave, krautrock, and a healthy dose of Haunted Graffiti can also be heard in a bold, tempo-matched digital-delay. The man, and his outrageous performancejust might be the most memorable thing you see all week.

"Sugarglider is a revelatory listen that exposes a genuine talent who's managed to excel at effortlessly nailing a distinct sound." - Exclaim!

“Chock full of gummy basslines, tony sax hooks, and spaced-out disco nods, Sugarglider feels like the soundtrack to a slideshow of some faded, pimply prom photos.” – Pitchfork

Here's the latest video from Pick a Piper. It was illustrated and animated with care by brothers Graeme and Kyle Reed. The band has also unveiled a massive summer tour that includes pit-stops at Sled Island and NXNE. See you there!

"The eight-track effort blends watery, disembodied grooves and shimmering atmospherics with tight-wristed percussion and guest vocals (from members of the Ruby Suns, Enon and Brainiac, Born Ruffians, and Braids) that also keep your feet fixed firmly on the ground." - SPIN

"Pick a Piper, the project of Caribou member, Brad Weber, is fast becoming one of 2013's brightest, most unlikely discoveries."- This Is Fake DIY

"Weber has a knack for combining electronic and organic elements into dreamy psych-pop that sounds as good on the dance floor as it does through a pair of headphones."- Now Toronto

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we'd like to take a moment to introduce you to our newest addition to the Mint roster. He's witty. He is humble. And he is an incredibly talented songwriter, producer and remix-creator. You may recognize him from Vancouver's beloved Fine Mist, or heard him work his behind the scenes magic on noteworthy records from Apollo Ghosts, Bleating Hearts, Myths and several others. His name is Jay Arner and we think he's great. Jay's self-titled solo debut is out on Mint Records on June 25th, 2013.

Upcoming Shows:

May 8th - Zoo Shop, Vancouver, BC with Thee Ahs

May 18th - The Biltmore, Vancouver, BC with Shotgun Jimmie and Gal Gracen

CONGRATS TO PICK A PIPER, THEIR BEAUTIFUL NEW RECORD IS OUT TODAY! If you haven't had a blissful psychadelic experience recently, we recommend checking out their incredible video for "All Her Colours" below.

Then go see them on TOUR! They have many dates booked - many have not been announced at this time.

"The eight-track effort blends watery, disembodied grooves and shimmering atmospherics with tight-wristed percussion and guest vocals (from members of the Ruby Suns, Enon and Brainiac, Born Ruffians, and Braids) that also keep your feet fixed firmly on the ground." - SPIN

Oh no! It is happening again. The SXSW emails have started flooding inboxes! And we're pleased to announce our upcoming SXSW party. This time, we're partnering with the good folks at Riot Act Media and bringing out a handful of Mint pals including Renny Wilson, Nardwuar and his band The Evaporators, Lisa Marr (of cub) and The Party Man himself, Mr. Andrew WK. Now, here are the details:

Riot Act and Mint will be supplying FREE PBR so come early, there is a limited supply.

A special thanks to Exclaim! too. Make sure you grab a copy of their April issue. We'll have a few at the party!

For schedule updates, please check our Facebook event. This is an unofficial event, so you don't need a fancy wristband to get in. And entry is obviously FREE and based on capacity, but if you want to RSVP, you can do so here.

Our ferocious duo, The Pack a.d. can now add "Juno Nominee" to their long long list of accomplishments. Congratulations Becky and Maya, you've earned this one! We're looking forward to seeing what these two do next as they've been keeping busy, recording a new album and scheming to take over the world.

We'd like to take a moment to share some good news with you. We've added Toronto's Pick a Piper to the Mint Records roster! The band is made up of Brad Weber, who you may remember as a touring member of Caribou, as well his friends Clint Scrivener, Angus Fraser and Dan Roberts. Pick a Piper’s self-titled April 2nd debut features guest appearances from members of The Ruby Suns, Enon/Braniac, Born Ruffians and Braids.